Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Environmental Land Management Schemes: Common Land

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask His Majesty's Government to what extent commoners with grazing rights in perpetuity will benefit from the Environmental Land Management Schemes.

Lord Benyon: We are designing the Environmental Land Management schemes so farmers on common land can take part in the schemes in a straightforward and positive way. We have already designed the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) so that eligible single entities can apply for an agreement on common land, as well as making an additional payment available to help with the costs of administering an agreement if there is a group of two or more people on the common. Commoners will also be eligible for the annual SFI management payment, which will pay £20 per hectare for up to the first 50 hectares entered into the scheme, resulting in a payment of up to £1,000 per year. Alongside SFI, there are multiple actions available in Countryside Stewardship that are applicable to commoners, as well as payment to support the administration of agreements involving shared grazing on common land. Common land is also eligible for entry into the Landscape Recovery scheme, and applications are currently being accepted for round two.

Environmental Land Management Schemes

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which those taking the economic risk will be rewarded under the Environmental Land Management Schemes.

Lord Benyon: We are designing our Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes with this in mind, many of the actions we will pay for through the ELM schemes will help farmers and land managers reduce their costs, improve their efficiency and improve the natural environment. For example, the nutrient and integrated pest management standards will help optimise use of inputs, helping to reduce costs whilst also potentially maintaining or even improving yields. Other actions in our schemes can enable farmers to generate an income from unproductive corners and edges of fields, using hedgerows to improve productivity (for example as windbreaks or shelterbelts), and improving soil health. The payments are also intended to support and de-risk the transition for farmers wanting to adopt more sustainable farming approaches. We use ‘income foregone plus costs’ to calculate payment rates and we have recently reviewed and updated them to ensure they fairly reflect changes in costs.

Housing: Noise

Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have set a target for the time between a local authority agreeing that noise from residential premises constitutes a statutory nuisance and the cessation of such noise.

Lord Benyon: Defra is responsible for the domestic legislation covering statutory nuisances, although local authority environmental health departments are the main enforcers of the statutory noise regime under the Environmental Protection Act, 1990. Sources of noise nuisance are highly individual, and while some can be dealt with swiftly and straightforwardly, others will require works to be carried out or other steps to be taken which may be more complex and time consuming. As such, the Government considers that decisions around the timeframe for complying with a noise abatement order must be a matter for local authorities to decide within individual situations.

Horticulture: Research

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to maintain the quality and quantity of horticulture research previously funded by the statutory levy of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.

Lord Benyon: Following the industry’s vote to end the AHDB horticulture levy in 2021 we have been working with the industry and the Devolved Administrations to put in place structures that will be more responsive to what the industry wants. This has included supporting the setting up of the industry-led Horticulture Crop Protection that has taken over some of the horticulture work formerly undertaken by AHDB. We have also committed over £104 million so far through the £270 million Farming Innovation Programme for industry-led research and development in agriculture and horticulture in England. This investment is enabling more farmers, growers and agri-food businesses to become involved in agricultural R&D. This will maximise the impact of R&D investment in innovation and improve the take up of novel approaches on farms. To date 23 out of 100 projects are focussed on horticulture.

Nature Conservation

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are on track to meet the target of halting the decline of species abundance by 2030; and what steps they are taking to ensure the target is met.

Lord Benyon: We have set out our plan to deliver on our ambitious 2030 target, along with our other environmental targets, in the revised Environmental Improvement Plan published 31 January 2023. Here we link the different objectives, plans and mechanisms for recovering nature. We know that to meet our targets we will need large-scale habitat restoration, creation and improved connectivity; to tackle pressures on species including pollution, unsustainable use of resources and climate change; and targeted action to recover specific species. Our Nature for Climate Fund provides over £750 million for the creation, restoration and management of woodland and peatland habitats. We will also launch a new multi-million pound Species Survival Fund this summer, supporting the creation and restoration of wildlife-rich habitats. We are ensuring that the design and implementation of our current and future agri-environmental schemes and Environment Act measures such as Biodiversity Net Gain and Local Nature Recovery Strategies support the target by focusing on the habitats we need and key actions to reduce pressures; and by supporting ‘crowding in’ of private investment. The first round of Landscape Recovery focused on river restoration and species recovery. The 22 successful projects cover over 40,000 hectares and aim to restore nearly 700km of rivers and protect and provide habitat for at least 263 species. The second round was launched on 18 May and focuses on net zero, protected sites and wildlife-rich habitats, which includes rivers, streams, and other freshwater habitats. We will offer up to 25 projects a place on the Landscape Recovery scheme in this round, within the £15 million total project development budget. In May 2022, we launched five nature recovery projects spanning nearly 100,000 hectares, which will see the creation and restoration of wildlife-rich habitats, corridors and stepping-stones. They will help wildlife populations to move and thrive, provide nature-based solutions, and enable people to enjoy and connect with nature. Natural England plans to launch another six Nature Recovery Projects in 2022/23. The Government has an explicit duty to ensure long-term targets are met. The Environment Act’s statutory cycle of monitoring, planning and reporting ensures that the Government will take early, regular steps to achieve long-term targets, and is held to account with regular scrutiny from the Office for Environmental Protection and Parliament. Our evaluation framework will provide a level of assurance towards our progress on the targets through adaptive management and regular evaluations and reporting.

Businesses: Fees and Charges

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the policy paper by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural AffairsCharging arrangements at government-run Border Control Posts - Consultation, published on 12 June, what assessment they have made of the impact of the introduction of the Common User Charge on UK businesses; and what steps they are taking to support those businesses.

Lord Benyon: Defra is committed to designing and delivering a charging policy which keeps costs down and minimises impact across all businesses. We are confident that the Common User Charge is the fairest and most pragmatic approach, as it spreads the burden across a wider user base and enables us to achieve the lowest possible rates while ensuring robust biosecurity at our border. Through the consultation, we are seeking feedback on the model and impacts of the proposals on businesses of all sizes and operating models. We are aware that businesses face a range of global pressures, and we will consider implementation of these charges in light of broader economic conditions and feedback from the consultation.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of bovine tuberculosis reducing at the same rate in England and Wales, in the light of the absence of badger culling in Wales.

Lord Benyon: Defra publishes official national statistics on tuberculosis in cattle in Great Britain on a quarterly basis. The latest quarterly release of these national statistics was published on 14 June and contained data up to the end of March 2023. This is publicly available at GOV.UK. The releases do not include a direct comparison between the rates of change in England and Wales as TB control is a devolved policy. Defra regularly meets with colleagues responsible for TB control in Wales. These discussions include reviewing disease information and the sharing of experiences with respect to the different and multiple policy interventions deployed in the fight against this endemic disease.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask His Majesty's Government whether data shows that transmission of bovine tuberculosis is higher (1) from badgers to cattle, or (2) between cattle.

Lord Benyon: Several recent studies using whole genome sequencing data from Mycobacterium bovis isolates in cattle and badgers estimate that, in the UK, transmission of the bacterium occurs more frequently within the same host species (i.e. from cattle to cattle and from badger to badger), than between badgers and cattle. However, the relative rates of transmission between and within the two maintenance host species are not uniform across the country and can vary over time. Even so, there is broad scientific consensus that badgers are implicated in the spread of TB to cattle. Professor Sir Charles Godfray’s independent review of the science published in 2018, which brought together leading UK experts, concluded that TB spreads within and between populations of badgers and cattle and that spread from badgers to cattle is an important cause of herd breakdowns in high-incidence areas.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Belarus: Political Prisoners

Baroness Crawley: To ask His Majesty's Government, following their announcement of new sanctions against the government of Belarus, what assessment they have made of the impact of previous sanctions against the government of Belarus, particularly in relation to the treatment of Belarusian political prisoners.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK introduced comprehensive sanctions in response to Belarus' flawed 2020 presidential elections and subsequent brutal crackdown, sanctioning over 120 individuals and entities. These include Lukashenko, security officials, judges and prosecutors. Belarus must be held accountable for both human rights violations, including treatment of political prisoners, against its own people and their support of Putin's illegal war. Since 2022, the Belarusian regime has facilitated Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the UK introduced sanctions in June 2022 and June 2023 in response which severely limited Belarus's ability to trade with the UK. We keep our sanctions under review, and reserve the right to introduce further measures.

Pakistan: Civil Liberties

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to thegovernment of Pakistan concerning its record on (1) freedom of expression, and (2) freedom of religion or belief.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Protecting both freedom of expression and Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) remains central to the UK Government's human rights engagement in Pakistan. I (Lord [Tariq] Ahmad, Minister for South Asia) raised the importance of maintaining democratic norms, including the right to protest with Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, on 10 and 13 May. I also raised the need to safeguard the rights of religious groups with Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada, on 27 June. Where there are allegations of human rights violations, we expect these to be fully investigated in line with international human rights law.

Noman Masih

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistanregarding the case ofNoman Masih who has been sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: It is our longstanding policy to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle. We have not raised this specific case with the Government of Pakistan. We continue to urge Pakistan to ensure due process and adherence to international human rights obligations. We press for speedy and fair trials for those accused and urge the Pakistani authorities to ensure the safety of those released.

Sudan: Armed Conflict

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the report of the APPG on Sudan and South Sudan in April, what is their assessment of the situation in Darfur.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current situation in Darfur, Sudan, including reports of (1) ethnic cleansing, and (2) identity-based attacks, on Massaleit people byArab militia (Janjaweed).

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK strongly condemns the attacks on civilians in Darfur, including the killing of the West Darfur Governor, Khamis Abaker. This message was delivered publicly by the Minister for Development and Africa on 16 June. The violence must end, humanitarian access must be granted, and those responsible must be held to account. We will continue to condemn human rights violations taking place in Sudan in international fora such as the UN Human Rights Council, and the UK continues to fund and provide support to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sudan (OHCHR), a UN body that provides a crucial role in monitoring and reporting on human rights violations. We are liaising with them as they now set up and run their remote monitoring mechanisms. The UK has released funding to organisations who are working with local partners to collect, verify and preserve digital content from the conflict, including incidents of significant abuses.

Sudan: Women

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assistance they are providing to Sudanese women and girls, if any, amid reports of sexual violence in the conflict in Bahri and Khartoum.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: There has been an escalation of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) against women and girls in Sudan since the start of the conflict on 15 April. Through the Women's Integrated Sexual Health Programme, we are providing integrated sexual and reproductive health services including management of SGBV through support to 324 clinics and 8 mobile health teams. The programme has maintained some access to services in all areas apart from Khartoum and Geneina. UK funding for Sudan, announced by the Minister for Development and Africa on 24 May, also supports survivors and other vulnerable groups. The UK is working with its partners to ensure that gender and inclusion conflict analyses underpin all aspects of the crisis response.

Sudan: Armed Conflict

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their understanding of the current security situation in Sudan, following reports that fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has spread to cities in the west of the country; and what response, if any, they have made with international partners to the call on 14 June by the West Darfur state governor Khamis Abbakar for international intervention.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Despite numerous ceasefires, hostilities continue across Sudan and humanitarian access remains extremely limited. The UK strongly condemns the deliberate attacks and human rights violations and abuses taking place against civilians in Darfur, as well as the killing of the West Darfur Governor, Khamis Abaker. Those responsible must be held to account. The UK is pursuing all diplomatic avenues to bring about a cessation of violence, establish humanitarian access and pave the way for meaningful talks. We continue to support the work of the US and Saudi Arabia and stand ready to support efforts to agree a permanent cessation of hostilities. The UK is working through a new African Union-led Core Group to ensure inclusive regional and international action to secure a viable peace process. We will continue to raise our concerns with international partners and through fora such as the UN Human Rights Council and Security Council.

Sudan: Humanitarian Aid

Baroness Cox: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the people of Darfur by securing a safe passage of aid from Port Sudan to the affected areas, including food, water, shelter, medicine and other essential supplies.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We recognise the extremely fragile security situation across Darfur even prior to 15 April, and it is clear that this has only worsened since the outbreak of hostilities. The UK's priority is to secure workable humanitarian access, including operational security assurances for humanitarian agencies to help the most at-need and provide life-saving aid. The Minister for Development and Africa announced £21.7 million in May to assist Sudan. The UK is pursuing all diplomatic levers, working notably with the UN, the Quad (Saudi Arabia, UAE, UK and US) and a new African Union-led Core Group, to secure safe access, including from Port Sudan, to affected areas.

Sudan: Humanitarian Aid

Baroness Cox: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to assist with the provision of (1) protection for currently displaced people and new waves of displaced people who are without shelter in Darfur, and (2) immediate aid to the new wave of refugees who have recently crossed the border into neighbouring Chad.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK is monitoring the situation in Sudan closely, including the humanitarian and security impacts within Darfur and Sudan's neighbouring countries. We are working to ensure regional borders remain open and those displaced receive humanitarian assistance. The dramatic increase of violence and destruction in Darfur following the outbreak of hostilities on 15 April is appalling. We are engaging with international partners to put pressure on both sides to protect civilians and grant immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access. In Chad, the UK has allocated £2.5 million to address the urgent needs of people fleeing violence, such as food, safe drinking water, medical care, and shelter.

Nova Kakhovka Dam

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential causes of the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are still assessing this incident. Russia, which has controlled the area since just after the invasion, must bear ultimate responsibility: none of the suffering caused would have happened if Russia had not launched an unprovoked and illegal war of aggression. We call on Russia to withdraw its forces, end all attacks on Ukraine's critical infrastructure, and in the areas affected by the dam, allow evacuation teams and humanitarian organisations to help the affected civilian population.

Environment Protection: Ukraine

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the issue of 'ecocide' as defined under Ukrainian Criminal Code as "mass destruction of flora and fauna, poisoning of air or water resources, and also any other actions that may cause an environmental disaster", particularly in the light of the destruction of theKakhovka Dam.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We have been clear that Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine has grave environmental implications, including the degradation and pollution of land, air and water. The collapse of the Nova Kakhovka Dam is a major catastrophe with far-reaching ecological consequences. While ecocide is not a crime recognised under the International Criminal Court's Rome Statute, Article 8 provides protections to the natural environment in armed conflict. We are supporting organisations collecting evidence of the environmental impacts of Russia's actions in Ukraine, and are supporting the Office of the Ukrainian Prosecutor General in its investigation and prosecution of conflict-related crimes.

NATO: Vilnius

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what their priorities are for discussion at the NATO Summit to be held in Vilnius on 11–12 July.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK priorities for the NATO Summit include making sure the Alliance increases its deterrence and defence with the resources and capabilities it needs to tackle the threats of a more contested world, strengthens its partnerships, and continues its unwavering support for Ukraine. We want to see Sweden join us at the table in Vilnius as a fully-fledged NATO ally.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Owner Occupation: Rents

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they are taking to assist part-owners of homes who may be unable to sell as a result of conditions of rent charges allowing repossession; and what estimate they have made of the numbers of homeowners affected.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: We want to make estate management companies more accountable to their freeholders for how their money is spent.When Parliamentary time allows, the Government intends to legislate to ensure that freehold homeowners who pay estate rent charges have the right to challenge their reasonableness and to go to the tribunal to appoint a manager to manage the provision of services.In addition, we will remove the statutory right for owners of rent charges to take possession or grant a lease of the property in the event of non-payment by the homeowner.

Shared Ownership Schemes: Fire Prevention

Lord Young of Cookham: To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are giving to shared-ownership leaseholders in buildings requiring remediation.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Qualifying shared ownership leaseholders are protected from all cladding remediation costs. Additionally, where capped contributions for non-cladding and interim measure costs are required, they are reduced in proportion to their equity stake in the property. Where the landlord is associated with the developer, the landlord has an obligation to pay for all costs associated with the remediation of all defects and any associated interim measures.All leaseholders can benefit from the funding available for cladding repairs for buildings over 18 metres through the Building Safety Fund and, potentially, the new scheme for 11-18 metre buildings (currently at pilot stage) where developers or building owners are not currently funding cladding remediation.  For those shared ownership leaseholders looking to increase or 'staircase' their ownership share, on 20 December 2022, the six largest mortgage lenders confirmed that lenders will consider mortgage applications on properties in buildings in England of 11 metres or 5 storeys and above in height with building safety issues, providing it is being self-remediated by developers, is covered by a recognised government scheme, or the property is protected by the leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act.For shared ownership leaseholders who need to move for work or family reasons, the Government has also made it easier for those living in buildings that require remediation to sublet their homes.

Retail Trade: Urban Areas

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to curb the decline of the High Street in many towns and cities.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, the Government is introducing several measures to help places have more control over their high streets and town centres. High Street Rental Auctions, for example, aim to empower places to tackle decline by bringing vacant units back into use. They will make town centre tenancies more accessible and affordable for tenants, including SMEs and community groups.This builds on long-term investment in our high streets and small businesses, including through £2.35 billion worth of Towns Deals, £830 million Future High Streets Fund and the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund.Over five years the Government's High Streets Task Force is providing support to local leaders by giving high streets and town centres expert advice to help adapt and thrive, with local authorities receiving access to expert support in areas such as placemaking, planning and design.

Evictions

Lord Bird: To ask His Majesty's Government how many people have been served a section 21 eviction notice since December 2019.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The data requested is not held centrally.

Department for Education

Education: Travellers

Baroness Whitaker: To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to publish their evaluation of their pilot education funding programme for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children and proposed next steps; and what assessment they have made of the connection between (1) the adequacy of educational provision and funding for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children, and (2) their statistics for children missing education for the academic year 2022─23, which show that 10 per cent of children missing from education are from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families.

Baroness Barran: The £1 million Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) Gypsy Roma and Traveller (GRT) Education Areas programme enabled five local authorities and a Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise organisation to deliver tailored support to improve GRT attendance and attainment. Whilst the programme was a one year pilot, the delivery of some of the targeted support carried on beyond that timeline. The close monitoring of the projects helped DLUHC to pick up issues quickly, facilitated the setting up of a buddying system, and improved cross agency relationships and knowledge sharing.The department has no plans to commission a government evaluation of the programme. The department’s expectation is that participant local authorities will carry out their own evaluation of their projects, build lessons learnt into wider services, and share learning with other local authorities.The government is committed to ensuring that all children are safe and have access to an excellent education. The department is currently running a call for evidence on ‘Improving support for children missing education’ to seek views on challenges in identifying and supporting children missing from education and how to address those challenges. The call for evidence is open until 20 July and will be used to inform policy future policy thinking. The open consultation is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-support-for-children-missing-education.

Pre-school Education: Boys

Baroness Eaton: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have implemented the recommendations of the Savethe Children 2016 reportThe Lost Boys;and if not, whether they plan to do so.

Baroness Barran: The Lost Boys report recommended for the government to invest in the best early education and childcare provision.Alongside setting high standards and requirements for all early years providers in the Early Years Foundation Stage framework, in March, the government announced the single biggest investment in childcare ever made in England, which means by 2027/28 this government expects to be spending more than £8 billion every year on the early years. This will result in an historic expansion of free childcare, with 15 free hours available for working parents of two-year-olds from April 2024, 15 free hours from nine months to the start of school available from September 2024, rising to 30 free hours from September 2025. From September, the hourly rates paid to providers to deliver free childcare for two-year-olds will increase by 30% from an average rate of £6 to £8. This represents a significant increase in funding for early years.The government is also investing up to £180 million in workforce training, qualifications, expert guidance and targeted support for the early years sector, to support the learning and development of the youngest and most disadvantaged children. This includes the Professional Development Programme, phase 3, training up to 10,000 early years professionals and providing early years practitioners with training on communication and language, early mathematics and personal, social and emotional development.Two-thirds of primary schools have benefitted from our investment in the Nuffield Early Language Intervention, improving the speech and language skills of an estimated 90,000 children in reception classes so far. Over 320,000 primary school children have been screened to identify those with language development difficulties. These children will receive targeted language support.

Department of Health and Social Care

NHS: Procurement

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure consistency in the interpretation of the concept of value-based procurement in purchasing items in the health and social care sector; whether they intend to produce and publish a clearer tool for the assessment of such value based procurement; and whether patient groups and manufacturers of (1) medical devices, and (2) absorbent continence products, will be involved in the development of any such tool.

Lord Markham: NHS Supply Chain has a value based procurement programme with a standard approach and principles in place to build a consistent interpretation of the concept of value based procurement. There are 30 projects across the organisation’s categories which are in scope for NHS Supply Chain’s pipeline for value-based procurement. NHS Supply Chain continues to work closely with NHS England on a joint evaluation approach.NHS Supply Chain is running two value-based procurement projects specifically in the continence category area, which encompasses absorbent continence products. The relevant NHS organisations and suppliers are involved in the development of these projects to ensure that the outcomes fit the NHS’s requirements. These projects are following the standard approach and principles as outlined on NHS Supply Chain’s website.The Department’s Medical Technology Directorate is working closely with NHS Supply Chain and NHS England to implement a consistent methodology for value-based procurement to be adopted at a national and local level. The directorate will continue to engage with both industry and patients in the development of this and other policies.

Influenza and Whooping Cough: Vaccination

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the uptake of the seasonal influenza and pertussis vaccine among healthcare workers.

Lord Markham: NHS England works closely with the Department and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to ensure communications resources and vaccination campaigns effectively encourage uptake of vaccines.Plans for 2023/24 will build on good practice from previous seasonal vaccination campaigns and will reflect the need to achieve maximum uptake across eligible cohorts, in line with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation guidance. This guidance is in an online only format.

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Prior of Brampton on 11 May 2016 (HL7950), and the Written Answer byLord Markham on 6 June (HL7725), whether any research applications submitted to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA)since March 2011 have been rejected by the HFEA Licence Committee; whether any requests have been received by the HFEA to perform spindle-chromosomal complex transfer; and how many centres in the UK have been granted permission to perform pronuclear transfer in order to facilitate independent scientific validation.

Lord Markham: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that no research applications have been rejected by the HFEA Licence Committee since March 2011. No requests have been received by the HFEA to perform spindle-chromosomal complex transfer. One centre in the UK has been granted permission to perform pronuclear transfer which is the Newcastle Centre For Life.

Methadone

Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: To ask His Majesty's Government what was the cost to the NHS of prescribing the heroine substitute drug methodone in (1) 2005, (2) 2010, (3) 2015, and (4) 2020.

Lord Markham: Information on the cost to the NHS of prescribing methadone is not held centrally.

Home Office

Refugees: Turkey

Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government what were the reasons for the increase from £425,000 in 2021–22 to £3 million in 2023–24 in the grant to Turkey for "return & re-integration assistance", which was diverted from the Overseas Development Assistance budget to Home Office International Operations; and what guarantees they have received that this grant will not be used for compulsory repatriation or refoulement.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The £3 million spend in Turkey in 2022 to 2023 was used to deliver training and equipment and exchange visits in relation to border security and detection of narcotics and illicit cash. An additional spend was utilised to support return and reintegration assistance.

Department for Transport

A12: Repairs and Maintenance

Lord Marlesford: To ask His Majesty's Government which sections of the A12 between Ipswich and Lowestoft are single carriageway; and what commitment they have made to finance the upgrading of each such section to dual carriageway.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Most of this stretch of the A12 is single carriageway apart from dual carriageway sections at Wickham Market, Saxmundham, Wangford and Kessingland. The Government is considering an Outline Business Case from Suffolk County Council for a number of improvements to the A12 which includes dualling between the B1438 and the B1079. It would be for the Council to identify any further improvement proposals and to bid for Government funding as and when future funding opportunities arise.

Roads: Litter

Lord Marlesford: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the potential impact of the use of digital evidence inthe enforcement around insecure roads of litter laws upon (a) road safety, and (b) the Highways Agency litter performance indicator.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Under Section 8 of the Road Traffic Act (1991), a person is guilty of an offence if they use, or permit or cause another person to use, a motor vehicle or trailer on a road when the condition of the motor vehicle or trailer or of its accessories or equipment, or the weight, position or distribution of its load or the manner in which it is secured, is such that the use of the motor vehicle or trailer involves a danger of injury to any person. Enforcement in this area is conducted by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s enforcement officers and the police. National Highways engages with organisations who have the necessary powers to take enforcement action. Commercial operators and drivers are legally obliged to ensure their loads are effectively secured, and risk finding themselves subject to disciplinary action by the Traffic Commissioner responsible for the issue of heavy goods operator licences, if found to be littering with an unsecure load. National Highways are currently working with a local authority to trial the use of Artificial Intelligence and camera technology to provide evidence of littering to support local authority enforcement. This trial forms part of National Highways’ approach to reduce littering and litter on the strategic road network, thus increasing performance against its litter performance metric. If the trial is successful, National Highways will consider potential future roll out.

Roads: Litter

Lord Marlesford: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the effectiveness of current litter performance indicators pertaining to value for money and customer satisfaction with highway maintenance; and, if they do not have one, whether they will make one.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: In the second Road Investment Strategy (2020-25) National Highways were allocated £6.5bn for the operation and maintenance of the Strategic Road Network (SRN). A proportion of this funding will be allocated within National Highways to carry out its litter clearance duties. For 2021/22 National Highways reported that 60.8% of its network was predominately free of litter, refuse or detritus apart from some small items, in line with the Code of practice on litter and refuse published by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. This was an improvement from 49.2% reported for 2020/21. The performance for 2022/23 will be published later this summer. Customer satisfaction of the SRN is provided through the Strategic Road User Survey (SRUS) which is undertaken by Transport Focus, the independent watchdog for transport users. For period April 22 to March 23, 73% of those surveyed were either very satisfied or fairly satisfied with the overall safety, condition and management of the road network.

Roads: Litter

Lord Marlesford: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to enforce legislation pertaining to littering on slip roads off roads managed by National Highways.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The responsibility for clearing highway litter and sweeping carriageways is governed by the Environmental Protection Act (1990); Section 89(1) places a duty on National Highways to ensure that the motorways and some trunk roads, so far as is practicable, is kept clear of litter and refuse. The relevant district or Local Authority manages litter collection on the rest of the roads in England. The Department and the Highways Monitor challenge National Highways on litter performance. National Highways is committed to reporting annually on the percentage of the Strategic Road Network which is predominately free of litter, refuse or detritus apart from some small items, in line with the Code of practice on litter and refuse published by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. National Highways does not have litter enforcement powers on the strategic road network, Local Authorities do have the powers to take forward civil and criminal prosecutions if they have sufficient evidence to do so.